William w



No Mode 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

. W. LOGKWOOD 8v 0. M. BIOKFORD.

GRAIN METER.

No. 405,315. Patented June 18, 1889.

9V M mamfww \VILLIAM \V. LOCKlVOOD AND PATENT Enron.

CHANCLA M. BICKFORD, OF-FREEPORT,

. KANSAS.

GRAIN-METER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0.405,315, dated June 18, 1889.

' I Application filed March 6,1839. $erial No. 302,127. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WVILLIAM W. LOCK- woon and CHANCLA M. BIoKFoRD, citizens of the'United States, residing at Freeport, in

the county of Harper and State of Kansas,

have invented certain new and useful Im-' provements in Grain-Meters; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and eX- act description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form apart of this specification. I

This'invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in automatic grainweighers; and it has for its object to simplify,

cheapen, and render more efficient in operation this class of devices.

The invention consists in the peculiar combinations and inthe construction, arrangement, and adaptation of parts, all 'as more fully hereinafter described, shown in the drawings, and then specifically defined in the appended, claims. 7

The invention is clearly illustrated in" the accompanying drawings, which, with the let-' ters of reference marked thereon, form a part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 is a perspective view showing our invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the same. Fig. 3 is a rear view. side elevation of a slightly modified form with parts broken away.

Like letters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawingsby letter, A designates a suitable tube adapted to be connected 'at its up-.

Fig. lis a' is bent at right angles, as shown, to form the arm or lever b. This shaft 13 is arranged short distance above the top of the partition. a, and has secured thereto, so as to move with it the door or switch-board 13, arranged to alternately open and close the entrance to the compartments A and A and the outlet to the tube A by the mechanism and in the manner hereinafter described.

b are washers on the shaft 3, one upon each side of the switch-board l3, and are for the purpose of preventing contact of said switch-board with the side walls of the tube, whereby said switchboard moves with little friction. This switch-board is formed or provided with a tail-piece B which extends below the shaft on which the switch-board is pivoted, and extends in the same general line with said switch-board, so, as the said board is turned, the tail-piece serves to guide the material away from the partition a and prevents the same from accumulating on the top of the said partition.

Secured to the opposite sides of the tube A, at the discharge end thereof, in line with the partition to, are the ears 0, slotted vertically,

as shown at c, and workingin the slots of said ears is the transverse shaft D, having elongated'head-s (1 outside said ears, and between said cars is hinged or pivoted in anysuitable manner the trap-door E, one-half of which is arranged at an angle of about one hundred and thirty-five degrees to the other half, as shown, and arranged to alternately open and close the outlet to the compartments A and A in a manner and through the medium of the devices which will be hereinafter described.

Projecting from the side of one-half of the trap-door E is the pin 6, which engages the elongated loop or eye f on the lower end of the rod F, the upper end of which is pivotally connected with the arm on the lever Z) on the transverse shaft B in any suitable manner, preferably, however, as shown in the drawings-that is, by means of a hook f, engaging a hole f in the free end of said arm I).

Suitably journalcd in bearings on the tube A, at a height of about that of the top of the partition (1, is the transverse shaft G, one end tion on. the beam.

of which extends through the wall elf the tube, and is bent at right angles, so as to form the arm or-levcr y the free end of which is pro vided with a hole g, with which engages the hooked end 71/ of the .rod ll, the lower end ol? which is formed with a vcrtically-elongated loop or eye It, wh ieh loosely engages the shaft .1.) between the car C and the elongated. head (I. Secured to the other end of the shaft (1 the scale-beam. l, the short arm. of which is provided at its free end with a hole 1', into which is ei'igz'iged the hooked endj oi the red .I', the lower end of which rod is formed with a vertically-elongated loop or eye j, which loosely engages the shaft 1) between the car (i and the elongated head (Z. The long arm of tho scale-beam l is graduated or marked oil into pounds, as shown at 11, and sleeved on this long arm is the adjustaljile weight 1, provided with the set-screw 13, by means of which said weight maybe held in its adjusted posi- On the short arm of the beam is an adjustable weight 1 .ior the purpose of balancing the sales, and provided with a set-screw if to hold said weight in its adjusted position. One end of the shaft D is extended and bent upward at rightangles, as shown, to "form the arm or dog D the free end of which is broadened and ilattened, as shown at d.

K K are blocks on the side oi the tube A, and pivoted upon each one of these blocks a latch or dog l), provided with a shoulder or notch Z, and M. M are springs secured to said blocks and bearing on the top of said dogs or latches, as shown.

n1 in are stops on said blocks to limit the downward movement of said latches or dogs.

llpon one side of the tube A is a registering device, consisting of the three ratchetwheels N O 1, each having teeth numbered from 1 to and the two wheelsN and each provided with a deep notch 12 and o, respectively, as is common in this class of devices, and so arranged that the wheel N will be rotated alone until ithas moved ten times, when the dog hereinafter described will fall into the deep notch, allowing said dog to engage the wheel 0, and so on, in a manner well. understood.

livoted on the shalft n of the ratchetsvhecls is the bell-crank lever Q, to the upper end of which ispivoted one end of the dog R, the other end of which is l'ormed with the two notches -r and o of different depth, and arranged to engage the teeth of the ratchet-wheels in the manner above described, and which will. be readily understood. The other arm of this bell-crank lever Q is pivotally connected by means of the rod S with one of the halves oi. the d rep-door E, said 110d passing through a guide-opening 7V in one of the blocks K on the side of the tube A.

The tube A and the compartments A and A may be of any desired capacity, according to the amount oi grain or other n'iatcrialthat it is proposed to weigh at a time, the marks upon the scale-beam and wheels oi. the registering device being made to correspond with the capacity of said eompartmentsthat is, if the colnpartments are each ol? two thousand pounds capacity, then the marks upon the scale-beam would indicate tons, and the figures upon the wheels tons, and so on. In case the last or any amount emptied into one ol' the compartments should. beless than the capacity thereof and for which the device is set, it can be readily weighed by loosening the set-screw of the weight on the long arm of the scale-beam and moving said. weight carefully back on the beam until the measure is dumped, and noting the weight upon the beam.

Although we have not so shown it, the device or the machinery or mechanism rtain ing to the weighing. of the grain or other material should be suitably inclosed and a door n-ovided to the register, and said door having a glass-covered opening opposite the Os upon the ratchet-wheel, as is common in this class of devices, but to which no claim is made in this application. \Vhcn made upon a'smaller scale and adapted for use by 'millers or farmers li'or measuring grain, the lower end of the tube A is reduced to the same size, or nearly the same size, ol? the portion oi? the tube above the partition in the enlarged portion, as shown at T in Fig. ti, room being provided for the swinging of the trap-doors and for the exit of the grain, as shown in said ligurc.

U U are hooks attached to the sides of the portion T, as shown in said Fig. 13, and are designed to serve as sack-hooks over which to secure the mouth of a bag while the same is being filled.

The operation of the device is simple and apparent. Having set the weight on the long arm oi." the scalc-l. am in the proper place to weigh the desired amount, engage the dog with the notch of one of the latches L. This closes one-half of the trap-door against 'the bottom ol' one of the con'ipartments and throws the switch-board in position to close the entrance or mouth of the other iiiomparh -ment; as the compartmentis tilled. \Vhen the required amount of material has fallen on the trap-door, the said trap-door will be pressed downward, (the elongated slots in the ears and the elongated eyes or loops on the eonnecting-rods allowing of a slight movement bodily of the doors and the shaft on which they are pivoted) and the dog l)", withdrawn from its engagement with the latch L, and the weight ot' the grain. on the door throws said door opcn,and conseipiently closes the outer door against the bottom of the other compartment. The same movementreversos the switch-board, throws the scales on a balance, and latches the dog I) with the other latch L, and the device is ready to receive another charge, when the operation is repeated. Each time the trap door is opened and closed the dog R is operated, through the mechanism above described, to actuate the ratchet-wheels of the registering device, and thus automatically register the amount of grain discharged.

The free end of the dog D is provided with an anti-friction roller (Z to lessen the friction between the same and the latches, as will be readily understood.

hat we claim as new is l. The combination, with the tube and the partition dividing the same into two compart-ments, of the hinged trap-doors pivoted at the discharge end of said compartments and having a limited vertical movement on their pivots, substantially as shown and described, and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination, with the tube divided into compartments, as described, of the ears secured at the lower ends of said compartments and having elongated slots, the trans verse shaft j ournaled in. said ears and worl ing in said slots, and the trap-doors carried by said shaft, substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination, with the tube and the partition a, of the pivoted switch-board, the trapdoors having vertical play and one of which is connected with said switch-board, and the scale-beam connected with the shaft of said trap-doors, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination, with the tube divided into compartments, as described, and the pivoted switch-board and hinged trap-doors having free vertical play, of the scale-beam, the shaft 011 which said beam is pivoted, the rod connecting an end of said shaft with the shaft of trap-doors, the rod connecting the short arm of the scale-beam with the other end of said shaft, and the rod connecting switchboard with one of said trap-door substantially as and for the purpose specified.

5. The combination,with the tube, the vertical partition dividing the same into two compartments, and the pivoted switch-board above the partition, of the pivoted trap-doors beneath said receptacle, the pivoted scalebeam, the shaft to which beam is pivoted being extended across the tube and bent at right angles to form an arm, the rod connecting the free end of said arm with the shaft of the trap-doors, and the rod loosely connecting the shaft of the switch-board with one of said doors, substantially as described.

6. The combin ation,with the pivoted switchboard, the pivoted scale-beam, and the shaft carrying the trap-doors, of the rod connecting the short arm of the scale-beam with one end of said shaft, and the rod connecting the free end of the shaft on which the scale-beam is pivoted with the other end of the shaft carrying the trap-doors, substantially as described.

7. The combination, with the tube and the slotted ears secured thereto, of the transverse shaft working in the slots of said ears, the enlarged heads on the ends of said shaft, the pivoted switch-board, the pivoted scale-beam, and the rods connected at one end with the short arm of the scale-beam and with the shaft of the switch-board and the other end loosely engaging the shaft of the trap-doors between the ears and the enlarged heads,substantially as shown and described.

8. The combination, with the tube and the pivoted latches thereon, of the pivoted trapdoors, and the vertical extension of the shaft of said trap-doors provided atits free end with an anti-friction roller, substantially as shown and described.

9. The combination, with the tube and the pivoted trap-doors, of the blocks on said tube, the registering device, and the rod connected at one end to one of said doors passed through an opening in one of said blocks and at the other end.connected with the registering mechanism, substantially as shown and described.

I11 testimony whereof we afliX our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM W. LOGKWOOD. CHANCLA M. BICKFORD.

lVitnesses:

ALLEN BELL, JOHN J. DIRKS. 

